We were lucky to catch up with Codi Stonehouse recently and have shared our conversation below.

Codi , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I was SO nervous when I launched my wedding planning business, who wouldn’t be right? Even with my years of event experience I was 100% convinced no one would want to hire me. But within hours of the launch I got a notification that I had my first inquiry, I may or may not have danced around the kitchen haha!

I met Lexy and Jack over a quick zoom call where they shared their love story and told me all about their proposal, the three of us immediately clicked and they ended up booking me as their wedding coordinator shortly after our meeting. They were my first “real” clients who truly believed in me and my business and quickly turned into real friends. To this day their wedding is one of my favorites, it was just so FUN from start to finish! Lexy did an incredible job planning and keeping everything organized, she made my job too easy. You could just feel the love and excitement on their big day, everyone involved was genuinely so happy and kind – it was just overall so beautiful.

It’s scary starting your own business and putting yourself out there, especially in the wedding industry. With any job, it’s important to work with people you get along with and have a good relationship with. That’s why I’m so thankful that Lexy and Jack trusted me to be a part of their wedding. In our short time of working together they helped me learn and grow so much and we still keep in touch today. Lexy recently started her own business, Lexy Renae Designs, creating the cutest digital designs. She made some stickers for me and I’m obsessed. I’m so happy and proud of the two of them and can’t wait to see where life takes them!

Codi , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey there! I’m Codi, aka your wedding day hype girl.

I’m a born and raised Arizona Native, lover of antiques and overly obsessed dog mom. My husband and I got married in November 2020, we’ve actually known each other since we were kids (cute, right?)! He’s my best friend, ultimate hype man and the muscle that keeps Sage + Stone going. So needless to say he’s pretty great. After 8+ years in the events industry, I’ve finally found my passion – creating one of a kind, unique to you wedding experiences for the wildly in love. After multiple guests (and vendors!) commented on how smoothly our wedding went and suggested I do this full time, I knew they were right. So with the love and support from friends and family, I officially launched Sage + Stone Weddings on March 1st, 2021 and haven’t looked back since!

I offer everything from custom elopement packages to full service wedding planning, however I’ve recently started to focus more on elopements and micro weddings. I’ve always loved working in the events industry but I really fell in love with weddings and its my goal to teach couples to plan their wedding the way they want it. It’s 2022 people, the days of having your wedding day hijacked by crazy family members are over! My approach to weddings is simple, I want to create a day that is 100% YOU. I believe wedding traditions are just suggestions and I’m down to toss them out the window if you are.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Wedding traditions are not for everyone and that’s ok!

I lost my dad just a few months before my own wedding and I really struggled with the idea of not having the traditional father daughter dance or having him walk me down the aisle, however this really opened my eyes on how you can still have these special moments – they might just look a little different :)

Instead of a father daughter and mother son dance we invited everyone onto the dance floor for a family dance to Deeper Than the Holler by Randy Travis, it was SO fun and special. It was easily one of my favorite moments of the night watching all our close friends and family kick off the night dancing with their loved ones.

My one piece of advice to anyone planning a wedding is to make it your own. There’s no rule book when planning your wedding and its ok to make your own traditions if the old ones don’t fit your style. Its your day, so make it your own!

How did you build your audience on social media?

A few months ago I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Hooked AF business retreated hosted by Anna Frentress, Anna is the definition of a trailbalzer and her passion and creativity is unmatched!

I think more often than not, people get caught up in how many followers they have or how many likes their posts get. I get it, I’ve fallen victim to that mentality one too many times before. But… when you start posting with purpose and being more true to you and your brand, that’s when you truly find your people! During the retreat I quickly learned I didn’t want to be just another wedding planner, I connected more with couples who were planning for a marriage – not just a wedding. I wanted to work on more elopements and micro weddings rather than the larger scale weddings I was currently booking. It’s still a work in progress but since turning my focus more on intimate elopements and micro weddings I’ve seen my business flourish and I’ve attracted more clients who truly appreciate my work.

Your style may not be for everyone and that’s ok, find your passion and stick to it. The ones who appreciate it will make all the stress and long hours worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sagestoneweddings.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sage.stoneweddings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sage.stoneweddings

Image Credits
Stevy Fletcher Photography – @stevyfletcherphoto Oohlala Photography – @oohlalaphotography Lacie Photography – @laciephotography Charming Roots Photography – @charmingrotsphotography Bonafide Cowboy – @bonafidecowboy Charlotte Francis Photo – @charlottefrancisphoto